In a typical consumer bankruptcy, a debtor seeks the benefit of two concepts. First, the debtor seeks the breathing room afforded that debtor by the automatic stay. Second, the debtor seeks to discharge all debt obligations adjudicated in the bankruptcy case. Absent these protections, a bankruptcy filing serves little purpose. As a result, a creditor who can attack the debtor's entitlement to a discharge threatens the very heart of any filing ...
The world is desperately seeking a vaccine and treatments against COVID-19 and the answer will also be found in intellectual property. For this reason, PLMJ and Inventa International have joined forces to prepare a Digest on these issues that is continuously updated ...
This is a briefing of the latest COVID-19 related issuances of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as of 8 July 2020: A.1. Filing of General Information Sheet (“GIS”) and Audited Financial Statements (“AFS”) A.2. Extension of Deadline for Filing of AFS of Corporations within the Jurisdiction of SEC Cebu Extension Office B ...
On July 31st the Federal Reserve posted amended versions of a number of Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) transaction documents, including the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Term Sheets for MSLP. Many of the changes reflect recent announcements, such as the expansion of the program to include the Nonprofit Organization New Loan Facility (NONLF) and the Nonprofit Organization Expanded Loan Facility (NOELF). Other changes, particularly to the FAQs, provide new guidance ...
In the shadow of COVID-19, company directors are having to take decisions at speed across a range of issues. The government is encouraging companies to help re-open the economy by bringing staff back to their work places. This challenge, alongside others that directors face, must be met against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, the end of the furlough scheme and planning for the repayment of government loans ...
It is no secret that business bankruptcies are surging in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, chapter 11 filings increased 26% in the first half of 2020,[1] and some expect the number of cases to increase even more in the coming months.[2] From retailers to airlines to telecommunications companies, few sectors of the economy are immune. As a result, more and more businesses will face the prospect of one or more of their customers filing chapter 11 ...
On 24 July 2020, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Exchange) published a consultation paper seeking public feedback on proposals to introduce a paperless listing and subscription regime, online display of documents and a reduction of the types of documents on display ...
How Wirecard skirted regulatory scrutiny by jurisdiction-shopping and canny intra-group structuring. It would have been the quintessential business success story. Founded in Munich in 1999, this small payment processor for online gambling and pornography sites grew so massive that, by 2018, it had displaced Commerzbank from Germany’s prestigious Dax 30 index. At its peak, the juggernaut was valued at more than €24 billion (S$38.6 billion) ...
Unprecedented. Have you heard that word a lot in the past 4-5 months? Not surprisingly, the word ‘unprecedented’ is the default word to describe society’s reaction to COVID-19, its effects on our healthcare systems, our behaviours, our compliance (or not) with government directives and guidelines, and the impact to our economy and economic well-being. This is, in our lifetimes, the most rapid response to a threat on a global level ...
On July 28, the Federal Reserve announced that many of its emergency lending facilities, including the Main Street Lending Program’s New Loan Facility, Priority Loan Facility, Expanded Loan Facility, Nonprofit Organization New Loan Facility and Nonprofit Organization Expanded Loan Facility, are being extended to December 31, 2020. The facilities were previously scheduled to be available until on or about September 30, 2020 ...
The Federal Reserve ’s Main Street Lending Program has recently been expanded to add two potential loan options, which will enable nonprofit organizations such as educational institutions, social service organizations and hospitals to receive financial support in addition to the previously announced programs benefiting for-profit entities ...
Did you know? The Trade Marks (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 (the “Amendment Ordinance”) recently came into effect in Hong Kong on 19 June 2020. The purpose of the legislation is to bring in the Madrid Protocol in Hong Kong and also to enhance the trade mark registration system ...
Retired Navy SEALs apparently have a persistence that other taxpayers may not have. Case in point (literally)—Noell Industries, Inc. v. Idaho State Tax Commission, decided on May 22, 2020, by the Idaho Supreme Court ...
For a long time, we have heard in different social media, for various reasons, some more positive than others, information related to Turnkey Contracts and the State indebtedness resulting from the Partial Payment Accounts (in Spanish, “Cuentas de Pago Parcial”) and Certificates of No Objection (in Spanish, “Certificados de No Objeción”) ...
This is a briefing on the issuances as of July 29, 2020 on the following matters in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: A. Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL) Further Extends until August 4 the Deadline for Filings and Payments Due for the Period of July 20-30, 2020 B. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Discourages Physical Filing of Mandatory Disclosure Form (MDF) which is Due on July 31, 2020 C ...
Key Points If finalized as proposed, a Department of Labor (DOL) proposed rule would require plan fiduciaries to select investments based solely on pecuniary factors. The proposed rule would also tighten conditions for treating environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors as pecuniary factors plan fiduciaries may consider in selecting investments ...
Extension on short-selling banThe Securities Commission Malaysia (“SCM”) and Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia”) announced a further extension, until 31 December 2020, of the existing suspension for the suspension of all short selling, other than permitted short selling, on the stock exchange of Bursa Malaysia. The scope of the ban remains the same ...
Tax and Revenue Income tax The following technical guidelines have recently been published on the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia’s official website: Garis Panduan Mengenai Duti Setem ke atas Suratcara Pindah Milik Saham bagi Saham dalam Syarikat yang Tidak Tersenarai di Bursa Malaysia Berhad (available in Malay language only) — issued on 23 June 2020 to replace Technical Guideline dated 6 November 2019;Garis Panduan Permohonan untuk Kelulusan Ketua Pengarah Hasil Dal
On July 23, SBA announced that lenders may begin submitting PPP loan forgiveness requests to SBA on August 10. To assist lenders, SBA issued a Procedural Notice with new guidance regarding lenders’ reviews of forgiveness applications. The Notice may be found here: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/5000-20038.pdf The Notice reaffirmed forgiveness guidance and rules previously issued ...
Key Points New proposal would allow investment advisors to provide advice to ERISA retirement plan participants for a fee, despite potential conflicts of interest. Reinstates five-part test from 1975 for determining when an investment advisor provides investment advice as a fiduciary to a plan participant. The U.S ...
The Federal Reserve has announced that the Main Street Lending Program will now be available to non-profits such as educational institutions, hospitals, and social service organizations, and has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the new Nonprofit Organization New Loan Facility and Nonprofit Organization Expanded Loan Facility ...